By THE NEW YORK TIMES

July 15, 2014

TOMODACHI LIFE

Released on June 6

Developed and published by Nintendo

For the Nintendo 3DS

Rated E (Everyone) for comic mischief and mild fantasy violence

“Tomodachi” is the Japanese word for “friend,” so the title of Nintendo’s new 3DS simulation game, Tomodachi Life, translates to “friend life.” It is, on some basic level, a comedic game about the lives of friends.

The friends in this game are Miis, the quirky humanoid avatars that players on Nintendo consoles can make to resemble themselves, friends, family members, celebrities and others. When you build them or import them to Tomodachi Life, the Miis become virtual citizens of your island. You give them names, personalities and the voices with which they can speak to one another. You give them food, clothing and shelter. A lot of it is played for laughs. You can dress them in panda suits. They’ll gleefully report that they’ve never burned their toast.

Tomodachi’s Miis are not puppets meant to execute every command perfectly. So while they ask for your advice or help solving problems, they accept these directives for what they are: arbitrary suggestions. For better or worse, they’re free to make their own decisions and live with the consequences.

The Miis forge friendships. They get angry. They have strange dreams. They go on dates, fall in love and have kids. The game, which was originally released in Japan and sold several million copies there, does not allow for same-sex marriage. That omission led to criticism before Tomodachi Life’s release in North America. Nintendo has apologized, saying it couldn’t change the game code to allow it this time but would strive to be more inclusive in the future. Even those infuriated by the decision have given the game high marks for creating an alternate world that’s fun.

The adventure game Divinity: Original Sin offers a combat world where players can change their environments.

Larian Studios

DIVINITY

Original Sin

Released on June 30

Developed by Larian Studios

For PC and Mac

Not rated

A common line of thinking among video game fans goes something like this: Games have gotten dumber, simpler. Developers are sanding off the weird edges, dialing back the stats, making everything controller-friendly and aiming for the lowest common denominator. Divinity: Original Sin, a new sword-and-sorcery adventure full of combat and conversation, exists in opposition to that. It’s a throwback computer game with modern graphics and an innovative cooperative role-playing system.

A chief design goal for Divinity was to offer players an extraordinarily malleable world. A combination of design and under-the-hood mathematics creates the illusion that players are free to blaze their own paths and change the world. You can move just about any object in the game world, reposition it for tactical advantage or break it open to look for secrets. You can wear a bucket on your head or turn just about any other random item into an article of clothing.

At times, Divinity can seem retrograde, with a standard overarching fantasy story. But its turn-based combat is challenging and unpredictable; its attempts at goofy humor are funny; and, best of all, it’s based on the idea of a pair of heroes. You can control both of them on your own or one apiece with a friend. Either way, you get the novel opportunity to role-play two characters at once, making them agree or disagree, build trust or cause each other grief.

Divinity is full of such opportunities and perks. Another: You can have a conversation with a dog. A game full of secrets and smartly designed opportunities, Divinity is one of the year’s best surprises.

SHOVEL KNIGHT

Released on June 26

Developed by Yacht Club Games

For Wii U, Nintendo 3DS and PC

Rated E (Everyone) for mild fantasy violence

Shovel Knight is about a knight who carries a shovel. Simple and simply fun, it might as well be a Nintendo Entertainment System game released 25 years too late. It’s a platformer, which means you control an avatar that moves from left to right on a series of two-dimensional screens, jumping over pits and defeating enemies as you progress toward the goal.

To clear obstacles in each stage, you can use your shovel as a sword, swiping horizontally to take out foes, or you can use it as a pogo stick, bouncing on top of enemies and platforms as you jump between death pits. Stages get tough. It’s easy to visualize how you’ll hop across each one, but it can be hard to pull it off.

People will inevitably describe Shovel Knight using phrases like “old-school platforming bliss” and “a love letter to retro games,” and that’s true, though it’s really an experience that captures the best of those old games without all of the clunky jitteriness that plagued them. You won’t have to worry about slowdown or random graphical glitches here. The jumps and swings have the heft of a modern game. For those who grew up with the Nintendo Entertainment System, this game will feel like a comforting and nostalgic trip.

Settlers and warriors compete in Civilization: Revolution 2.

2K

CIVILIZATION

Revolution 2

Released on July 2

Developed by Firaxis and 2K China

For iOS mobile devices

Rated 12+ (Players 12 and older) for mild violence

The new Civilization: Revolution 2 for Apple touch-screen devices plays like many a Civilization game before it. It’s still a turn-based strategy game about moving settlers and warriors around a map. And it’s still about founding cities, developing technologies and competing with rival civilizations for supremacy in war, wealth or scientific or cultural expertise as time marches from 4000 B.C. to the future.

The problem is the game’s platform and the way it has been offered. Many of today’s modern mobile games are free to start or maybe cost only a dollar. This one costs $15 but has fewer features than its cheaper predecessor, Civilization Revolution, which was released in 2010 and has been regularly updated and enhanced with a multiplayer mode. Revolution 2 arrives without multiplayer features and with little new content.

The graphics of this sequel are undoubtedly more complex and probably prettier to certain eyes, switching from a two-dimensional aesthetic to one that’s more 3-D. But graphics were never the draw for Civilization, and they’re not worth paying for this game until it is updated with more features.

These condensed and edited reviews are from the gaming website kotaku.com. Full reviews are at kotaku.com/nytselects.